Another Anti-Israel Vote Comes to Academia

One scholar says being denied access to the West Bank violates her 'rights as an American citizen.' Huh?

By

Cary Nelson

Jan. 8, 2014 6:40 p.m. ET

Save for some college students refusing to buy Israeli hummus, the "boycott, divestment and sanctions" movement against the Jewish state has had very few successes over the past decade. That changed last month when the American Studies Association voted to boycott Israeli academic institutions. Now the Modern Language Association (MLA), a far more prominent group, is poised to condemn Israel at its annual meeting in Chicago. Anyone interested in academic freedom should pay attention.